The Power Within
by Deathzealot
Summary: Can a ship filled with misfits and thrown out pilots help the Galactica on its treck across the cosmos looking for the lost 13th Colony of Kobol? Well you are going to have to read to find out... [ON HOLD]


_Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica, including characters, plot, and ships. However I do own my creations like the Vanguard and anything me crazy mind creates._

Author Foreward:

This little fanfiction kinda jumped into my mind when I watched some reruns of the old Battlestar series, where the Pegasus appears to join the fight. While plenty of people are making a Pegasus Fic bringing our favorite, lovable Cain into the world of BSG: 2004. Now however I decided to do something a little different, while it is not official people think that the Colonials had more warships then just the awesome Battlestars. In which I tend to agree and so this fic will introduce a minor warship one made to escort the Battlestars around. So without further ado I introduce BSG: The Power Within.

William R. Woods  
"Deathzealot"

William R. Woods Proudly Presents:

**Battlestar Galactica: The Power Within**

_"The war maybe over but the fight is just beginning…"_

Commander William "Husker" Adama  
Commanding Officer BSG-75 Galactica

**Chapter One: The First Shot**

_"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."_

* * *

_Colonial Strike Cruiser Vanguard  
2 Days After Judgment Day  
Valiant Anchorage, Vega System_

In the dark space of a system with four dead planets a Space Station sat peacefully, however it had been gutted and torn by weapon fire. This space station had been built here as a backwater base servicing the Red Line Patrols of the Colonial Fleet. However the station and its small yet powerful picket fleet where now cold, icy wrecks suspended in space. Not one was alive, majority of the human lives where dead or captured. With a flash of light a ship joined its dead sisters in the dead system. As the crew looked on in shock a wreck of one of the Colonials must powerful class of ships the Battlestars, floated past the ship. The crew shock grew for it took a lot to kill a Battlestar, as they cruised past another ship the Colonel of the ship standing over the center DRADIS Console and the plotting station below that, managed to recover herself.

"By the gods a Battlestar and an entire Battlecruiser Squadron destroyed," remarked Colonel Fiona Peterson the commander of the Vanguard Strike Cruiser as she stared at the screens before her. Fiona looked around in awe wondering how this happened to the mighty Colonial Fleet. The twenty-seven year old commander was one of the Fleet's rising star officers one that would be on a fast track to a Battlecruiser Command, however a single mistake put a large black mark on her record, one that she would never be able to get rid of. Getting command of the Vanguard and getting the mission of patrolling the Red Line with the dreaded Red Line Patrol had punished her, supposedly. Her enemies thought it would break her but in reality she took in stride, commanding the Vanguard for four years now. She just loved it for the Vanguard while only a lowly little Cruiser instead of full fledged Battlestar or Battlecruiser, it happened to be a Strike Cruiser a class that had been very effective in the war with the Cylons thanks to the supporting Fighters the Support Cruiser could provide, however after the war the politicians decided to stop building the Strike Cruisers and start with building better Battlestars and Battlecruiser. The Strike Cruisers already in service where either decommissioned or sent to do menial jobs like Red Line Patrol. The Vanguard being a first and last of her class was seen as to valuable to the Fleet and sent at first as a Anti-Pirate Patrol ship, then when Fiona was put into command it was reassigned to the Red Line Patrol. The Vanguard while similar to other Strike Cruisers sported a lot more fighters, carrying at least a squadron of fighters if not more. Not to mention the weapons of the Vanguard where a lot powerful then normal Strike Cruisers with her powerful main rain cannons that could equal to a mainline Battlestar in power. Now Fiona would most likely going to have to explain what happened here to command, maybe putting another black mark on her record and just maybe the end of the Vanguard.

"Sir I am reading no contacts at all, Fleet or Civilian," reported the Sensor Officer or the SO reported with sadly. Fiona sighed sadly as well as she closed her eyes going through all her friends on the station or stationed on the ships like the Griffin the Battlestar protecting the Anchorage. Flinching she took another look at the destroyed hulk of the Battlestar before turning towards her bridgecrew once more. She looked over at them seeing their responses to this, they all looked either sad or just plain mad, suddenly the Sensor Officer stiffened as a new contact sprang onto his screen. It was followed by eight more, frowning he hit his warbook to identify the new contacts. This attracted the attention of Fiona and her XO.

"Sir, I am detecting nine contacts, the warbooks doesn't know what the heck they are," the SO reported uncertain about these new contacts. Fiona frowned as she conisder what these contacts where. However that decision was already made for her as the Sensor Station sqawked harshly, which made the SO turn sharply back to the station. His face paled as he read the information flowing onto his screen.

"SIR! RADIOLOGICAL ALARM! I REPEAT RADIOLOGICAL ALARM! These contacts are carrying nukes!" the SO reported with alarm. Fiona's color left her face as it dawned on her what happened here, which made her training kick in.

"Bring the ship to First Stage Alert, Flight launch the Alert Fighters and prepare the rest of the squadron for launch, Weapons warm up our Railguns and CIWS, Helm exercise Evasive Maneuvers, and Sensors get as much information as possible from these frakking asses as you can," she started to snap out her orders as she started to head back to the plotting table in the center of the CIC. As she did the lights switched from the white fluoresce of normal operations to the red eerily lights of 1st Stage Alert. As Fiona walked back to the DRADIS Console and the Plotting table beneath it she the Console lowering into combat position, she looked at the Plotting table to see the new contacts spring onto the table. She sighed for she knew that having this type of plotting table was a lot better then the older ones. Shaking off her thoughts she turned to snap out some further orders, for her ship was now at war and little did she know a war that was already over.

* * *

_Viper 1126  
Lieutenant J.G Nina Adama  
Callsign: Saber_

Lieutenant J.G Nina "Saber" Adama listened to humming of her Viper's engines as she brought the old Viper Mark III around towards the enemy fighters. Nina smiled as she looked at the picture tap to her DRADIS Console. It was one of herself and her two cousins Lee and Zak Adama. Her thoughts turned to them and her Uncle the legendary William "Husker" Adama. While she had gone to flight school with her cousins, she had gotten a small black mark on her record when she got into a small bar fight when she got drunk once. So she had been punished by getting a assignment in the dreaded Red Line Patrol. Sighing Saber turned her attention to the fight and the three other Vipers around her, as well as the approaching enemy ships.

"Alright ladies and gents lets give these frakking asses a lesson they will not forget," she ordered her flight of Vipers. She got shouts and jeers from the other three pilots.

"Right Bulldog your with me we will take left, Flash and Cups take the right we'll catch them in a crossfire," Nina ordered as she brought her Viper around with Bulldog hanging tight behind her, in his slower Viper Mark IV. Bulldog is the newest pilot to the Vanguard, however unlike the rest of them it was not a Blackmark that got him here, but low scores on his final. He was awesome at flying but when put under pressure of something say a test he broke down. Nina found him to be an excellent Wingman and so she had the Squadron Commander assign him as a wingman to her, and since she was his second in command he granted it. In the other flight Flash is a forty some veteran pilot that refused to retire or to take another job, so he was assigned to the Vanguard to get him out the way. Also he held the rank of Warrant Officer, which was a rank, used during the first Cylon War to start pumping out pilot quickly and they couldn't give all them Lieutenant bars. So the Warrant Officer rank was created to counteract this and was removed a few years after the war. However Flash and a few pilots still held those ranks, so he acted as the Squadron's kind NCO, even though the Warrant Officer rank is considered a officer he was old enough to be a decent NCO. The other pilot Cups, is frankly a pilot with a drinking problem hence his assignment to the Vanguard. However he is still a very good pilot and not to mention a great gambler which is why he won his current Viper VI from some Smuggler over at Picon. The Viper VI was a godsend to the Squadron, which operated mainly older models of Vipers, like Saber's Mark III and Bulldog's IV, not to mention the old Viper Mark II that Flash flew.

Saber blinked shaking of her thoughts as the targets came into visual range, and wondered where the hell the cockpits where for these things. She shook of her confusion and brought the first enemy into her sights getting ready to fire when a large red eye flashed on the front of the craft, which look oddly familiar. As she watched they burned bright for a moment and a curse sounded over the radio. Frowning she turned to see Cup's Viper started to drift powerless. Cursing she turned her attention back to the enemy, which suddenly hesitated. Saber saw this and took her chance.

"Open Fire!" she ordered dropping behind a enemy and opening fire with her guns. Bulldog hung back unleashing his Vipers Missiles onto three enemies making them dodge like hell, where Saber jumped behind them to finish them. Flash dropped behind a enemy as well killing the enemy in seconds showing his skill and experience in his viper. Within seconds over half of the enemy fighters where destroyed, the rest started to retreat but where caught with their pants down as the rest of the squadron arrived tearing the rest to pieces. A minute passed and the first shots had been fired in a war that already had been lost. Of course Saber did not know this as she joined her Squadron in scouting out the debris field left over from the destruction of the Valiant and her picket force trying to find some survivors of this destruction.

* * *

_Vanguard_

Fiona sighed relieved as the ship was brought down from combat alert. She looked around to see her relieved crew taking a breather. The enemy fighters did not fire a single nuke at them, which was a big relief for them. Fiona sighed again as her XO approached her.

"Sir all enemies destroyed and Lieutenant Adams is having the squadron searching through the debris, and he reports that Cup's Viper was somehow disabled during the fight and is requesting a shuttle to tow it back to the ship. Also he has ordered the Raptors to launch and aid the rest of the Squadron in the search and rescue," the XO Captain Nathan "Rock" Logan reported with a frown. Fiona looked over at him with a sad smile and nodded her understanding.

"Tell Chief Brianna to find out what the hell happened to Cups Viper, we may need it later," she ordered and turned her attention to another report one of the ships supplies. Captain Logan nodded and was about to leave when the Colonel stopped him with a raised hand.

"Also Nat get the shuttles out there and see if they can find any supplies in these wrecks we need it," she ordered. Logan nodded again and went to relay the orders he had been given.

* * *

_Vanguard Hanger Bay_

Lieutenant J.G Brain "Cups" Walters cursed as he scrambled out of his Viper without waiting for the techs to unlock his helmet collar or anything. He had done it himself before storming over to the gathering techs around his craft not even noticing the bare hanger around him hence every Viper, Raptor, and Shuttle where out searching for anything at all. Even the Shuttle that had towed him here the first place left as soon as it came.

"So Chief you now what happened to it?" the sandy haired pilot asked the Chief of the deck, a squat red haired women with her hair pulled pack into a small ponytail. Her orange tech coveralls streaked with oils from everywhere in the hanger bay. She did not look happy; neither did Cups, for they did not like having this Viper out of commission.

"Sorry sir, the only thing I can see wrong is that somehow something fried the entire electronics for the bird," she said angrily stomping around the Viper which she considered as one of her favorite Birds in the anger next to her prized Viper Mark IIs.

"Damn it Chief I thought you checked it thoroughly," Cups huffed in anger. The Chief scratched the back of her head and glared angrily at the twentyish pilot next to her. She considered every single pilot her kid and went out of her way to make sure his or her Viper where properly repaired and maintained. In other words she acted like a maternal mother to the pilots and the techs under her.

"Lieutenant you know me, I check every bird in my hanger thoroughly in and out," she said angrily as she looked over the cockpit from the ladder that had been placed there. Cups flinched and made a note to throw out that new Ale he managed to get in the last supply run.

"Sorry "Mom" I guess I got carried away," he said with a sigh calling the chief by her nickname. The pilots called her either chief or mom in respect to the affection she showed them. The Chief looked down at him before jumping down from the ladder and wiped her hands on rag that another tech handed her earlier.

"That's alright Cups I understand we are all a little wired over this," she said with a sigh before looking the pilot over seeing him nod sadly. The chief was pretty good reading every single one of her pilots, and Cups now clearly wanted to be with the rest of the squadron in the search. Sighing she gave a whispered order to anther tech, who just nodded, before running to complain the order.

"You know sir, I can break out one of those Mark IIs out of storage if you want," Chief said with a smile, which made the pilot smile as well and which just nodded in wonder seeing one of the storage hangers opened and a tech rushed in.

"You know Mom you are amazing sometimes," Cups said with a smile, as the tech pulled a handcart leading out a Viper II into the main hanger. Cups sighed and rushed over to the bird as the Chief smiled behind him, then sprang into action ordering her techs to prepare for launch. Cups sprang up the ladder the second after it was placed on the side of the ship, before sitting down in the fighter waiting for the techs to lock his helmet into place. Seconds later he was ready and being lead towards one of the launch tubes. Cups nodded and prepared himself for the launch.

* * *

_Raptor 899  
Pilot: Lieutenant J.G Hector "Falcon" Niven  
RO: Lieutenant J.G Jamie "Lock" Henders_

Cruising through the debris of the once powerful Valiant Picket Force was one of the two Raptors that the Vanguard had aboard her. The Raptor's sensors reached out searching for any survivors or useful supplies. As the cruised near the wreck of a strange looking Battlecruiser the sensors suddenly pinged announcing something to its crew.

"Yeah Falcon I got something on the sensors and the DRADIS," Lieutenant J.G Jamie "Lock" Henders reported with a frown looking over her instruments. Her pilot Lieutenant J.G Hector "Falcon" Niven, frowned and looked over the screens in front of the RO.

"Well Lock what the frack is it?" he asked her looking at the space around them wondering where it came from. Suddenly something attracted his attention, frowning he brought the Raptor in for a better look and he saw what looked like a escape pod with flashing red lights going off.

"Well Frak me it's a escape pod," he said excitement leaking into his voice. Lock looked up in surprise and smiled as well before diving for the radio.

"Vanguard, Lock we have found a escape pod in quadrant beta 3421," she said into the radio. It took a moment for the ship to respond but when they did cheers could be heard the background.

"Lock, Vanguard, roger that bring them home," the order came from Colonel Peterson herself. Lock nodded and relayed the order to Falcon who just nodded. He brought the Raptor over to the pod and docked with the escape pod. Lock waited for a green light before opening the hatch and looked into the darkened interior of the pod to see a single woman in a rumpled uniform sitting in the pod, one that was made for five people. Lock cursed and made sure the women was alive before dragging her aboard the Raptor. She searched the women and found her ID and what she saw made her jaw drop in surprise. Falcon seeing this but was busy preparing to unlock from the pod, when the hatch closed. Falcon looked back at his gaping RO and wondered what is so important about this lady that made Lock who usually is never surprised.

"Lock what is it?" Falcon asked with a frown looking over his shoulder at her. Lock looked up in shock before recovering herself.

"This is Colonel Athena Adama, Saber's older sister," she replied looking down at her. Falcon cursed as well before looking over the battlecruiser wreck and realizing that it was not a Battlecruiser but a Battlestar, a smaller one mind you but a Battlestar nonetheless Cursing he took another through scan and saw something that made him sick. Beside the Battlecruiser Sqaudron and the Griffin there was far more ships, three more Battlecruisers and four Destroyers, along with this mini-battlestar to be exact. Cursing he ordered Lock to close the hatch and started for the Vanguard. As they did three Vipers fell into formation with the Raptor.

"Yeah Falcon, Lock we are your escort back to Vanguard, and since where here who is the survivor?" Saber asked over the radio eagerly since she was kinda the Queen of Gossip aboard the ship. Falcon looked at the radio before sighing looking over at Lock and gave her a nod. Who nodded back and sat back at her station.

"Well Saber its one Colonel Athena Adama, your sister," Lock said sadly looking back at the other women who was still out. Silence was the response int'l Saber started to cough.

"Please Lock tell me your joking Athena was the XO aboard the Battlestar Sentinel and last time I checked it was part of 3rd Fleet over at Gemini," Saber said silently trying hard not to scream. Falcon shook his head not caring that she couldn't see him.

"Its true Saber look behind us, that is what's left of the Battlestar Sentinel the first of the new Sentinel Class Battlestars," Falcon said sadly not even looking for he had enough it. Saber started to sob softy over the radio as her Viper started to drift as she took her hands off the controls, her wingman Bulldog tried to comfort her but to no avail. The third member of the flight Flash, known as the Old Man managed to comfort his commander from his own Viper.

"Lass listen to me, whoever these frakking asses are I am sure the Sentinel and the Griffin gave them a handful. However let's get the Colonel back to the ship and maybe she can tell us what the hell happened here," Flash said comfortably. Saber finally grunted in understanding and brought her Viper back on course Falcon and Lock nodded in understanding as the Vanguard grew in their viewport. As they came closer Athena moaned and started to thrash around which brought Lock to her side in a flash

"Sir it is alright you are among friends, go back to sleep," Lock said softly to her as Athena tried to open her eyes. However Lock's soft voice reassured her and so she fell back into Lock's arms, and fell asleep. There she remained int'l the Raptor landed onboard the Vanguard.

* * *

_Main Briefing Room_

The atmosphere in the room was tense as the bombshell registered to the Colonel and the XO. The two flight officers stood at attention in front of the two senior officers.

"So let me get this straight elements of the 3rd Fleet where destroyed here alongside the Valiant Picket Force," Colonel Peterson said in shock as it became apparent that they had a problem. The woman RO of the two who wore her black hair short and in spikes, as well as being tall looked at her Commander and nodded.

"Yes sir the Battlestar Sentinel had been confirmed in the debris," Lock replied with a sigh remembering Saber's expression as her sister was taken off towards the Life Station.

"Frak what the hell happened here to warrant the arrival of Sentinel," Captain Logan cursed as he looked out the briefing room large window showing the space around them. Sighing he turned to look at Fiona wondering what was happening back at the colonies.

* * *

_Life Station  
Vanguard, Vega System  
Six hours Later_

Colonel Athena Adama, slowly swam back to wakefulness from her knocked out state. As she did she came to realize that she was no longer in the escape pod, thanks to the fact that she was laying on something soft, life a bed. Secondly a mask was on her face providing oxygen to her system, and finally the slight beeping of Life Station equipment. As she tried to figure this out the memories flash through her eyes again, from the fight over Gemini, the retreat to Vega, the Battle of Vega, and finally the destruction of the Sentinel Sighing sadly she opened her eyes now wondering how she ended up in a life station and hoping that this was not a dream. As her eyes opened the first thing she saw was a cold, gray surface of the ceiling of a typical Fleet Life Station. Sighing again she took in her surrounding to see that her other senses where telling her the truth. Her eyes explored the darkened room she found herself in, noticing she was in a recovery room, thanks to the fact of the other beds in the room. Which where now unoccupied meaning she was alone. Suddenly her eye caught something, a darkened figure slouched forward in a chair next to her bed. Frowning she tried to look closer to see who it was, but her ears told her something else, this person was fast asleep thanks to the light breathing of the person. As she inspected the person her thoughts turned to something else entirely, cursing to herself she look down at her body to see that her stomach still had a slight bulge signaling that nothing happened to her baby. Sighing in relief, she brought her hand over her belly to feel the baby moving slightly. After she was done with her inspection she tried to see the figure, however her eyes where still trying to adjust to the darkness. Athena turned to her thoughts wondering how she had survived and how she found herself in a life station of a Fleet Warship.

Maybe the holocaust and everything was just a very bad dream, she thought to herself hoping that it was for those images of the Gemini burning would never leave her. However her exhausted state, and that cut she got when being shoved into the escape pod told her otherwise. Sobbing slightly she realized that it was true the Colonies destruction, all the people she had known now dead, all of it. Her sobbing caught the attention of the dozing watcher who awoke with a start.

"The Frak…" came a voice from the darkness. Athena's sobs stopped as the voice registered in her mind. Frowning she looked over the figure as it reached out for something and a mumble or curse later the lights slowly came on to show that Athena's suspicions where right. For her baby sister Nina Adama was now standing at the side of her bed in a rumbled flight suit. Smiling Athena saw that she was no longer alone in the spreading darkness that had come to the Colonies.

"Yeah Athena your awake!" exclaimed Nina with a smile leaning to hug her. Athena smiled with tears dropping down her face, relieved that her sister was alright. Even though they had not been on the best of terms in the last few years, she was please that she was alright.

"Now Athena tell me what the frak happened?" Nina asked once they broke apart. Athena looked at her sister in shock wondering where they had been.

"What you don't know what happened, were have you been?" she asked in shock. Nina looked at her in suspension wondered why had her sister so riled up.

"Well we have been patrolling the Red Line for the past two months Athena and we don't really get any news while we are out there," Nina answered leaning forward eagerly. Athena sighed as she closed her eyes wondering how she was going to break the news to her sister and how her ship reacted. It had been her idea to come out here to Valiant Anchorage, for she remembered Nina saying she had been assigned here. Then her thoughts turned to her commander, who had been a very good friend of hers ever since she got out of the academy. He forcefully shoved her into the bridge's escape pod along with several others of the bridge crew, he had said she needed to survive for there was another life within her beside her own. She was turned from thoughts to see Nina reach over towards and flick away the tear that started to roll down her face.

"Seriously tell me what the frak happened here that required the Third Fleet to be here," Nina said curious to what would make her tough sister cry like that. Athena looked over at her little sister and took a deep breath preparing herself for the answer.

"Nina…. It is not just here, it is the entire colonies they all have….," she started however she suddenly broke down crying. Nina blinked and leaned down towards her still wondering what would make her sister cry like this. Athena looked up at Nina through her tears and took another deep breath and said those few words that she had denied herself since it all started.

"Nina the Colonies they had been destroyed, thanks to nuclear fallout," she said it and broke down crying once more not realizing the shock and stunned looks on the face of her sister and the nurse that had just came in to check on her. To them their entire world had just came crashing down on top of them. Everyone they knew and loved where now gone, dead or worse they had been captured. However the war had been lost before it even began, though the fight was just beginning.

...tbc

Author Notes:

Well what do you guys think, a little dry I know but I hope you guys like it. Also if there are any mistakes at all in here feel free to correct me. Also the Quote at the beginning of the Chapter is from Martin Luther King Jr. I thought it would be very…reflect the feeling for this chapter Anyways please read and review!


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